Red Sox News: Former All-Star Set To Make 1st MLB Appearance in 2 Years

Former All-Star Lucas Giolito is set to return with the Boston Red Sox after a two-year absence.

He last pitched in the 2023 season — for three different teams — and now, back after a partial UCL tear in his elbow wiped out his 2024 season, former All-Star Lucas Giolito is set to return after a two-year absence.

Lucas Giolito will make his Red Sox debut against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Alex Cora said (via @SmittyOnMLB). pic.twitter.com/gdPFAYTSJn
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) April 26, 2025

Manager Alex Cora confirmed that Giolito will be activated this week and is slated to make his debut with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Giolito finished his rehab stint with an outing on Friday that wasn't exactly awe-inspiring, as he walked six and allowed three earned runs in 4.2 innings.

Overall, in 17.1 rehab innings, the 30-year-old right-hander had a 5.19 ERA with a 1.79 WHIP, while striking out 8.8 batters per nine, but also walking 6.8 per nine.

The good news is that Gioliti feels good after his conditioning stint, and did retire the final six batters he faced in his final start for Worcester, so he'll make his MLB return on a good note.

Giolito signed a two-year deal with the Red Sox in the 2023-24 winter, after a rough couple of seasons in 2022 & '23. Before that, he had three straight solid years for the Chicago White Sox, with down-ballot Cy Young votes twice, and a 6th place finish in the balloting in his All-Star season of 2019. That year, he posted a 3.41 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP and 228 strikeouts (11.6 K/9).

But an elbow problem before the '24 season left him with only one year—this one—to prove himself as a viable starter in the bigs for Boston. The BoSox hold a $14 million team option on 2026, which can escalate to $19 million if he reaches 140 innings this year.

He'll now join a Red Sox rotation that is starting to get healthier, joining the also-returning Brayan Bello, to go with the top three of Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and Tanner Houck.